Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
5 credits
30.0 h
Q1
Teacher(s)
Van Parijs Philippe; Vanderborght Yannick;
Language
English
Main themes
In relationship with recent developments in political philosophy, the course may focus on some of the following themes:
-In depth reading of one or two classics, from two different periods in history (e.g. Locke's Two Treatises or Hobbes's Leviathan and Manin's Principles of Representative Government or Kymlicka's Multicultural Citizenship)
-The very idea of contractualism and contractarianism
-The notion of liberalism
-The notion of multiculturalism
-Some contemporary questions in the theory of democracy (e.g. the boundary problem or the value of transparency)
-'
-In depth reading of one or two classics, from two different periods in history (e.g. Locke's Two Treatises or Hobbes's Leviathan and Manin's Principles of Representative Government or Kymlicka's Multicultural Citizenship)
-The very idea of contractualism and contractarianism
-The notion of liberalism
-The notion of multiculturalism
-Some contemporary questions in the theory of democracy (e.g. the boundary problem or the value of transparency)
-'
Aims
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 |
At the end of the course, students will: -know the work of some of the main authors in the history of political thought (Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, Mill, Hume, Condorcet, Marx,') and trace their legacy into current debates -have developed the skills of reading the work of an author while being both able to locate it in a school of thought and to interpret it in view of the whole work in which it is located -develop the analytical skill of being able to understand the various ways of understanding concepts such as representation, citizenship, deliberation,' and the way in which they combine into a theory of democracy -have a sense of the main contemporaries in the theory of democracy and the way in which normative theories of democracy combine with theories of justice |
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
The course will begin with one or two sessions of general introduction to political thought and its main currents. It will take as its main reference one of the first great classics of contemporary political thought: Considerations on Representative Government by John Stuart Mill (1861). The author will be presented and placed in his historical context, and some of the book's arguments analysed in detail. Mill's positions in this book will be central in our discussion of several contemporary political issues: the right to vote, electoral systems, deliberative democracy, nationalism, ecology, etc. Mill's other books directly addressed in class will be On Liberty (1859) and Principles of Political Economy (1848). For each of the issues selected in the course, Mill's arguments will be confronted with the contributions of other important authors, will be discussed in the light of current controversies, and will serve to feed the students' personal reflection.
Teaching methods
Presentations by the teachers. The active participation of students in class is important. Consequently, regular attendance is essential. A set of required and recommended readings will be provided at the beginning of the course, and handouts will be distributed.
Evaluation methods
The assessment will be based on a written examination that will include two types of questions. Some will aim to evaluate the understanding of the contents of the required readings; others will aim to evaluate the capacity to engage in personal reflection on the issues discussed in class.
Online resources
Brief summaries of the classes will be provided to the students, as well as required (and, whenever possible, recommended) readings.
Bibliography
Excerpts from the following books will be provided via Moodle.
MILL, John Stuart (1848), Principles of political economy, with some of their applications to social philosophy, London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer.
MILL, John Stuart (1861), Considerations on Representative Government, London: Parker, Son, and Bourn, West Strand.
MILL, John Stuart (1859), On Liberty, London: John W. Parker and Son, West Strand.
Students are also advised to use the following edition of the works of John Stuart Mill:
MILL, John Stuart (2015), On Liberty, Utilitarianism and other essays, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
MILL, John Stuart (1848), Principles of political economy, with some of their applications to social philosophy, London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer.
MILL, John Stuart (1861), Considerations on Representative Government, London: Parker, Son, and Bourn, West Strand.
MILL, John Stuart (1859), On Liberty, London: John W. Parker and Son, West Strand.
Students are also advised to use the following edition of the works of John Stuart Mill:
MILL, John Stuart (2015), On Liberty, Utilitarianism and other essays, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Teaching materials
- Outline and brief summaries provided to the students + excerpts from JS Mill.
Faculty or entity
ESPO
